Mobile machines, including track-type tractors, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, and other types of heavy equipment, are used for a variety of tasks. In other to accomplish these tasks, the machines typically include a power source configured to provide power, a number of implements including a work implement, that are configured to provide operations, and a number of power transmitting paths configurable to selectively make power available to the implements to perform operations.
The power source may commonly comprise an engine, the implements may commonly include a traction device, the work implement may commonly include a boom, and the power transmitting paths may commonly include a hydrostatic drive extending between the power source and the traction device, as well as an additional hydraulic power system extending between the power source and the work implement.
During operation, the power source may be regulated by a control arrangement to provide a substantially constant level of available power. Conventionally, the substantially constant level of available power corresponds to a high idle operating level of the power source. Such a high idle level may be a standard elevated idle level, or may for example be one of several elevated idle levels such as a power idle level and an economy idle level. The control arrangement my further configure a first power transmitting path to make a percentage of the level of power available to provide a first operation, for example by configuring the hydrostatic transmission to drive the traction device, and may configure a second power transmitting path to make a percentage of the level of available power to provide a second operation involving actuating a work implement, for example configuring the additional hydraulic power system to actuate a boom lift cylinder.
In some cases, even when an operator control has been set to a maximum value, an operator may still wish to further increase the power to actuate the work implement. For example, even at a maximum boom lift setting, the boom lift speed may not be perceived as adequate to the operator. In practice, the operator may increase the level of available power, for example by setting the power source to a higher idle level. However, this may cause that the power source is operated rather often on a relatively high idle level causing for example unnecessary wear, vibrations, noise and emissions, and in some cases even the highest idle level available may not offer a fully satisfactory result to the operator.
The disclosed machine control is directed at alleviating one or more of the disadvantages set forth above.